The Grenada gazette., 1887-06-25
CLEvERLY WORKED.
How an Enterrrlsing Tennessee Coup''
Made an Easy Living.

Made an EASY LIVING
We left Memphis by steamer al
about 8 o'clock in the evening, and
among the deck passengers ! noticed
couple. man and wife. who gazed
around as if they had never seen
steamboat before. They he'd an old
coffee sack with some clothing in it,
but no other baggage. They moved
about in timid way, and both seemed
much afraid of the water
The boat had not gone five miles
down the river, and the large number
of passengers had not yet settled
down, when there was an unearthly
shrek, followed by the cry OF ''man
oyerboardp' The boat was stopped
and her wheels backed, and after two
or three minutes it was learned that
one of the couple I have mentioned
the husband-had fallen overheard.
The woman ''took on in the widest
manner, crying and moaning and
wringing her hands, and when asked
how it happened she replied:
He Just dun fell over-fell over
fell over!''
By that time 1t was uselcs to think
of lowering boat. There was swift
current running, and as the man had
not cried out there could be no doubt
of his being drowned. Every one
pitied the woman of course, and when
somebody nok off his hat and dropped
fiye-dollar bill into 1t, it was ''go"
all around A hundred dollars was
raised her in fifteen minutes, and she
went ashore at the first landing made
by the boat, Juggling the bag Of clothes
with her. went down as far as Her.
nando. Miss, and stopped off there for
two days, taking second steamer
down on the third night from the above
occurrence. When went down to the
levee saw couple with an old sack
between 'em who reminded me OF the
pair on the boat. and l also saw them
come aboard The resemblance aston.
ishcd me, but it had to 60 for coinci.
dence.
The steamer pulled out about ten
o'clock, and had not been under way
half an hour when there was loud
shrek, followed by the cry Of, "Man
overboardr' 1t was repetition of
what have related before, except that
some of the passengers had gone to
bed, and the shake purse didn't count
up over forty dollars. The hat was
passed to me, but l declined to chip.
The 'recent and grief stricken widow
left the boat at the first landing, and ]
went to bed with the feeling that Gu
rious condolences were mighty thick
on the Mississippi river left the
boat at Helena, made three days
stay, and was ready to take another
boat on the down trip, when I ran
across that self-same couple at the
levee, waiting for the same boat.
After some minutes spent in solemn
reflection, l walked up to them ant
said to the man:
Come now, this is square deal
and give nothing away. I've seer
you drowned twice, and I've seen thi
widow 60 ashore with a breaking
heart the same number of times. Tel
me how you play it and I'll give you
W"
| "Let's see the money!"
| l handed it over, and he slowed
away in his pocket and then replied:
"Tve got OIL rubber lifc-preserve
under my clothes, as you see, and
generally make shore within coupl
Of miles. Stranger, don't give it away
We are poor but honest people"
/ solemnly agreed that wouldn',
but l think they rather mistrusted me
for they waited over to catch . boa
the next night.-DetroI Free Presa